Brookhaven Rail Terminal

[rr503]

Thread for discussion of the Brookhaven Rail Terminal
I'll start!
Who are the customers who will use the expansion?

[freightguy]

Home Depot/lumber
ENAP/ 84 lumber and Riverhead Building Supply
Culpepper Lumber
Triangle Builders/ flats that can't be unloaded at Medford Team

Vantage carriers/flour

Biodiesel fuel

Aggregate stone was unloaded there. I wouldn't be surprised if stone is unloaded there again eventually!

Various unique moves such of steel beams and bentonite.

Hopefully with the lawsuit cleared more commodities will make their way into the terminal.

[freightguy]

From LI Newsday online


March 27, 2016 The Editorial Board
At last, some progress has been made in getting more tractor-trailers off Long Island roads. A settlement has been reached in the long battle between Brookhaven Town and the operators of the Brookhaven Rail Terminal. The expansion of this facility is too important to allow it be derailed.

There is no need to re-litigate the actions and inactions of which both sides were guilty. Personalities got in the way. But the working group that finally resolved the dispute crafted an agreement in which both town and terminal gave up some things to get others in return. That’s how you make a deal.

The freight terminal now can proceed with adding a second spur adjacent to the track already in operation, and ultimately a third on the south side of the tracks in Yaphank. And it can do so in an expedited fashion. Brookhaven will have the environmental oversight it sought but not some of the zoning and other approvals typical on private projects. The town gets $500,000 from the owners of the terminal plus 62 wooded acres of terminal property for preservation. The terminal agrees to keep Brookhaven informed on its actions. If all goes well, the new spur will open by fall 2017.

More on Newsday: Sign up for The Point | Matt Davies' latest cartoon: Trump egg hunt

The terminal now is poised to blossom. Its one spur handled more than 4,000 freight cars the last two years. That’s 16,000 tractor-trailers taken off our clogged and battered roads. Last month, a record 330 rail cars arrived at the terminal, hauling products such as lumber, flour and soybean oil. The terminal will erect another building for storing and cutting lumber to meet increased demand. This week, five freight cars loaded with rebar will leave South Carolina bound for Yaphank; two companies want to bring in rebar on a permanent basis. And the heavy interest generated by the second spur includes ongoing discussions about building a large warehouse for food distribution. Hundreds of new jobs are possible.

Cooperation and communication between town and terminal led to the settlement. Now that spirit must continue. There’s a lot at stake. The terminal is back on track. Keep it there. — The editorial board

[rb]

Does anyone have (or remember where to find) possible plans for proposed Expansion II and III? I remember at one point seeing a plan that included a bridge over the mainline to a parcel south of the existing facility.

[tj48]

Just think what the possibilities could be for BRT if COFC and TOFC could make it on to the island.

[rscott417]

If over pass height is s still an issue for C/TOFC traffic, could they try single stack containers? I guess it's not as efficient but could still work. Or is it more an issue of tying up passenger traffic with long container trains?

[rr503]

The 3rd rail more than anything else. Well cars don't clear the 3rd rail so it'd have to be spine car only, single stack service, i.e. infeasible. The only way I see ctofc working on LI is if they run trains off the bay ridge branch into somewhere along the LMB in Queens where containers/trailers are put on the road. That way you can avoid electric territory. However, both the bay ridge branch and the LMB would need some clearance work before any of this could happen.

[freightguy]

The TOFC/COFC debate on Long Island has basically been put to rest. It won't really work around here with transit times and of course the class one connections. In fact class ones (CSX/NS) virtually do not run trailers on fixed chassis in unit trains anymore. You'll still see them on intermodal trains, but not like the 1990's. More economical with double stack of course. Cannot reiterate enough the LIRR third rail clearance issue.

Brookhaven Rail Terminal is probably poised for explosive growth in the coming years unlike the rest of rail freight in the country with the current downturn. More and more companies will continue to move out of Brooklyn and Queens because of rents and residential expansion. The price of tolls will increase also. All this plus certain items that were trucked to Long Island can be converted to rail shipments should provide for a good increase. This all depends on the LIRR infrastructure and when BRT is expanded. BRT will have enough opportunities with just general freight alone. Loaded bulkhead flats of rebar have started to be shipped there as of recent.

[DogBert]

Some of the bigger NYC customers won't be leaving for the burbs though. Trash won't move out east. The aggregates for ready-mix won't either since you can't really deliver ready-mix long distance. What else is left at the moment? Asian food transload, ewr recycling... if favorite plastics is solely in the shopping bag business they might close up shop assuming the plastic bag tax happens (already passed into law, though I believe it's being delayed a few months). Maybe brooklyn resources and gershow will move if that part of brooklyn rezones/gentrifies. Allied Extruders was apparently bought by a company with a plant in newark, so they consolidated.

That's not to say BRT won't grow. I think auto traffic to the island is going to push more freight to rail. The highways are not going to get bigger, and the tolls are not going to get cheaper. What's the toll on a truck coming from NJ these days?

[freightguy]

Aggregates coming to the island have been one of the biggest success stories. A lot of that goes to P&W and NYA marketing of Tilcon products. It went from 40 cars a week seasonal (9 months) to around 8,000 cars a year. Only a portion towards the city (Maspeth) because I guess all the waterborne operations of shipping aggregates.

Once the Brookhaven landfill closes I could see a train on par with the one that comes out of the Bronx originating off Long Island for trash removal. Freight rail has really taken off around here since privatization in 1997 of LIRR operations. Stone, waste products, and the inception of a transload (BRT) have been huge. I can see food products making more of an increase also. Amazing the amount of bulk food grade trucks make their way onto the island.

Dogbert,

I'm not sure of the price of tolls, but I'm told it bankrolls the rest of the MTA's operations. So imagine that daily revenue!

[Backshophoss]

Most of the major fleets use "Pre-Pass" a transponder that works with Weigh Stations and EZ-Pass scanners
Most of the Local Fleets have a Comm EZ-Pass Transponder,going rate for an 18 Wheeler was $25.00 (GWB)
Not sure if TBTA does what the PA does with "demand" pricing during the AM/PM Peak travel periods.
Figure the base rate is $40.00 and UP now for PA Bridges.

[ccutler]

Port Authority GWB price list indicates a price of about $80 per truck, with surprisingly little discount for off-peak travel.
So $80 per truck is $160/round trip. Assuming 3 trucks/train car, then truck shipping faces added tolls costs of about $480 versus rail cars.
Here is the URL which you may need to copy/paste for the GWB:
http://www.panynj.gov/bridges-tunnels/tolls.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[DogBert]

freightguy, kings at the end of the bushwick branch is also getting aggregate.

Didn't know there was still a landfill out there. When it closes, it's all going to have to go somewhere. So far as I know all the large out of state landfills are inland now, so barging won't be an option.

Port authority sure is minting money at the crossings.

[Backshophoss]

It's gotten worse over time,toll wise,wow,that cash price of $105.00 for a 18 wheeler is steep!
EZ-Pass not much better at $77.50 overnight,$80.00 off peak and 90.00 Peak! ugh!
The tolls are added to the freight bill to customer.

[SemperFidelis]

No round trip on the truck tolls.

As the old joke goes, "You have to pay to get out of New Jersey".